Coding school teaches the languages of computers

Spencer Ritzow is a computer coder who until a few months ago was working as a sales clerk at Target. He took a computer coding class at devCodeCamp and is now a junior developer at Trisept Solutions. Credit: Rodnesha Jones

Rather than Spanish, Chinese or French, however, the languages Ritzow traffics in have to do with computers. They have names like C# (pronounced see sharp), HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code). And they help Ritzow write instructions that computers follow.

Until a few months ago, Ritzow worked at a Target store, where he was at various times operating a cash register, selling electronics and moving carts in from the parking lot. Now, however, he has a full-time job writing computer code at Trisept Solutions LLC., a Milwaukee travel technology company that builds websites for Funjet Vacations, United Airlines, Universal Studios and other customers.

Ritzow, who grew up in Franklin, got the job at Trisept just one week after finishing a 12-week, intensive computer coding boot camp at DevCodeCamp, Wisconsin's first such code school.

What he does. Ritzow is an application developer at Trisept. He spends about half his time writing computer code and the other half testing that code to make sure it works. The day he talked with the Journal Sentinel, he said he was adding analytics tags to track website performance.

When Ritzow arrives at work in the morning, he usually knows what his team of six will be working on that day. They might be adding a new airline into a website, for example, then testing the next day to make sure all the airline's flights are showing up on the site, he said.

How he got the job.Programming classes during high school got Ritzow hooked, and he adopted coding as a hobby. He attended technical college after graduating from high school and studied computer programming with a gaming emphasis. But Ritzow disliked sitting in class listening to lectures, so he decided to take a year off.

"The traditional schooling wasn't for me, so I took a break from that," Ritzow said. "Yes, I understand being a well-rounded person is nice, but there are some points where we need to focus on what we're actually going for."

Ritzow found what he wanted to go for at DevCodeCamp. Prodded by his parents, he attended a DevCodeCamp orientation on a Wednesday, and by the following Monday was a student in the program, spending 10-hour days with other students doing hands-on coding. Rather than listening to lectures, he was enjoying working on projects and collaborating with other students, he said.

Ritzow got an interview with Trisept while still in the program, and after a second interview, accepted the company's job offer.

What he loves about the job. Ritzow said he likes the way a coder is always trying to solve problems. He also likes the way coding encourages collaboration and open-mindedness. There are always times when a coder can't come up with a solution and must seek out other coders who've solved the same problem before, he said.

"Maybe I'm just a weird kind of guy, but coding is just one of my hobbies, it's one of the things I love to do," Ritzow said. "Some people they'll go lift weights or run, do sports and stuff. But I like coding. It interests me."

How do you write elegant code. Ritzow has written programs that are 5,000 lines or more long, but he says length doesn't determine the quality of the code. Elegant code is concise, and doesn't contain random spaces or tabbing, he said. It is also readable, with "nice spacing, and nice wording." And clear instructions are very important, he added.

Advice he has for aspiring coders.Ritzow took computer coding in high school, but what really propelled him forward was continuing to play around with code after finishing those classes, he said. "It's really helpful to have an open mind and to do a little during your off-time just so you can experience it and see if it's right for you," he said. Ritzow also recommends going to web sites like codeacademy.com and javascript.com, which offer the opportunity to take classes and write code.

This is the latest in a monthly feature on careers in a dynamic economy.

Compensation: In Wisconsin, programmers average $72,050 per year, with entry-level workers averaging $45,440 and experienced programmers making $85,350, according to the Department of Workforce Development.

To get in: Programmers need a certificate or associate's degree with considerable work experience, and preferably a bachelor's degree, according to the website Study.com.

Outlook: The U.S. Labor Department projects that Wisconsin will add 222 programming jobs per year through 2022, mostly due to replacement of current workers.